Drainage apparatus for refrigerators



. Ev KENNED 4 DRAINAGE APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed Feb. 8, 1922 lrromvsy EENT I Patented May 4, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT'OF EDWARD KENNEDY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. I

F ICE DRAINAGE APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATORS,

Application filed February 8, 1922. SerialNo. 534,879.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, EDWARD KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, county and State of New from refrigerators, comprising a drip pan,

and a drain pipe to which the drippings are conducted.

It is a common practice in houses and apartments (at the present time to allow the drippings from refrigerators to collect in pans or other loosereceptacles placed beneath them, and which require to be frequently emptied. The emptying and care of such pans is, accordingly, a source of considerable trouble and inconvenience. More-.

over, if the emptying of the pans is neglected or forgotten they become over-filled and run over, thereby causing injury to floors and walls and still greater trouble and inconvenience. A

It is an object of this' invention to provide improved apparatus whereby the drippings from refrigerators is automatically disposed of, so that such disposal requires little or no care or attention. In accordance with the invention the drip pan or pans are connected with a vertical drain pipe arranged in the wall of the building, and in the use of the invention in a building containing a number ofapartments the drain pipe is preferably common to av series of apartments.

A further object of the invention is to pro-' vide a drip pan of improvedconstruction and arrangement, and to further provide improved means for connecting the drip pan to the drain pipe.

In carrying out the above objects, an important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a drip pan arranged in position to receive the drippings from a refrigerator and spaced from the floor of the room so as to enable the portion of the floor below the drip pan to be easily swept or scrubbed.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the connection between the drip pan and the drain pipe includes a nipple oppositely threaded at its ends, so that the nipple may be threaded into the 'drain' I v pipe by the same turning movement whereb the drip pan is secured to the nipple. i In one embodiment of theinvention, the drip pan is formed at its inner end with an opening, the edges of which are tapered in accordance with the taper 'of the outer end of the nipple, and the drip pan is secured in place on the nipple by a guard which is threadedexteriorly on the nipple.

Otherobjects and. features of the invenand will be pointed out inthe appended 01311118..

In the drawings, in which similar refertion will appear as the description proceeds, 1'

ence characters indicate like parts in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevationof a refrigerator drainage apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, the floor and waste pipe of the refrigerator being indica ted in ,broken lines;

Fig.2 is a plan view of the same form of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section taken substantially along the center line of the drip pan; Y

Fig. 4 is. a viewin section .4 1 of Fig. 3; w I

Fig. 5 shows a modified form of the invention in which the "drip pan .is secured in, position by a guard member.

Inthe illustrated construction, the referalong the line ence numeral 10 designatesa wall of a.

building, and arranged in said wall is a vertical drain or waste pipe 12. In the event that the wall 10 is a part'of a building comprising a number of apartments, the drain pipe 12 is provided adjacent to each apartment with a T-coupling 14 provided with a laterally disposed portion 16 opening through the wall of each apartment in the desired relation to the floor of the apartment. The laterally disposed portions 16 0f the couplings 14 are connected to the drip pans 18 and serve to conduct the drippings from said pans to the waste pipe 12.

As shown in Fig. 1, the drip pan'18 is arranged to receive the drippings from a refrigerator, the floor 20 and waste pipe 22 of which are indicated in broken lines. drip pan preferably comprises a substantially cylindrical portion 24 and a floor 26 which is inclined toward one end of the pan, and also inwardly toward the center line of the pan so as to provide a discharge portion 28. As shown in Figs. 1 00 4 inclusive, the end of the pan adjacent to the discharge portion 28 is provided with an inwardly extending boss 30 having a bore which is interiorly threaded adjacent to its outer end, as indicated at 82.

In order to enable the drip pan 18 to be easily and quickly connected to or disconnected from the portion 16 of the coupling 14',- I provide a nipple 34, which is oppositely threaded at its ends for engagement with the portion 16 of the coupling 14 and with the threads 32 in the boss 30 of the drip pan respectively. With this construction, it is apparent that the nipple84 maybe threaded into the coupling 14 with the same turnlng movement by which the drip pan 18 is screwed on the outer end of the nipple.

I It is desirable that the drip pan 18 be provided with a guard which will prevent the entrance into the nipple and waste pipe 12 of objects which might clog them. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1.to 4 inclusive, such guard consists of a vertically arranged bar 36 extending across the inner end of the bore of the boss 80. As shown, the boss 30 and the bar 36 are integral with the drip pan 18. It will be manifest, however, that such parts can be formed separately from the drip pan 18 or from each other without departing from the scope of the invention.

Y In the -modified form of the invention, shown in'Fig. 5, the drip pan 18 is formed with an opening 38, the edge of which is tapered to conform with the taper of the outer end of the nipple 34, and the drip pan is secured on the nipple 34 by means of a guard 40threaded eXteriorly on the outer end of the nipple. Preferably, and as shown, the

, guard 40 is in the form of an annulus having its inner edge threaded for engagement with the threads on the outer end of the nipple 34, and being provided with a thimbleshaped spider 42. From the foregoing it will be understood that the guard 40 not only prevents the entrance of objects into the nipple 34 and drain pipe 12, which might clog them, but that such guard is also op erab-le to seat the drip pan 18 firmly on the tapered outer end of the nipple, and to secure the drip pan in fixed position on the nipple. In the forms of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the drip pan is'not only arranged tov receive the drippings from the refrigerator, but it is also spaced from the floor of the room in such a manner as to permit the portion of the floor beneath the drip pan to be easily swept or scrubbed. In such forms of the invention, the drip pan is also preferably spaced from the wall of the room, and to this end I provide spacing blocks 44 secured to the wall of the room by screws 46, and construct the drip pan 18.

at its inner end with upstanding slotted spacedrelation to the wall of the room, but

also to prevent accidental rotation of the drip pan, such as might move itfrom its proper operative position with reference to the refrigerator or loosen the attachment of the drip pan on the nipple. In some conditions of use of the apparatus means is preferably provided for supporting the drip pan atits outer end. A suitable form of such means isillustrated in Fig. 5 and comprises an upright 100 having a base portion; 102 adapted to be secured to the floor by screwsor other suitable fasteners. The upright 100 is provided at its upper end with a reduced portion 104 which is exte riorly threaded for engagement with an adj usting member 106 secured to the cylindrical portion 24 of the drip pan 18. This construction not only provides a firm support for the drip pan, but also enables it to be vertically adjusted if desired. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the adjusting member 106 is formed integrally with-the drip pan 18. It is, however, manifest that the member 106 may beseeured to the drip pan in any other suitable manner vwithout departing from theprinciples of the 1 outer end. It frequently happens, however,

in the installation of refrigerators that the wall of the room adjacent to therefrigerator is constructed of brick or other material in which it is diliicult or impracticable to arrange a drain pipe. In suchcases it may be necessaryto connect the drip pan with a drain pipe located some distance away from the refrigerator. The provision of a dzrip pan with "the supporting means above described enables the drip pan to be firmly supported, even when the drain pipe is relatively remote from the refrigerator and the drip pan is accordingly connected to the drain pipe by an intervening pipe of con siderable length. r

From the foregoing it will be understood that I have provided a drainage apparatus for refrigerators which enables the drippings from refrigerator-s to be disposed of without requiring any attention beyond the initial installation of the apparatus, except for the cleaning of the drip pan. It will further be understood that the drip pan may be very easily and quicklydisconne'cted from the drain pipe for cleaning or other ranged in the wall of a building, a nipple connected to the drain pipe and extending 'into a room of the building, said nipple having one end threaded and screwed into the drain pipe, the other end oppositely thread: ed and tapered, a drip pan constructed to fit over the tapered end of the nipple, a guard in the form of a thimble constructed to screw on to the tapered portion of the nipple .on

the inside of the drip pan, the upper edge of the rear wall of the drip pan having upwardly extending ears to receive lugs r bolts whereby the drip pan is prevented from rocking on the nipple,

2. In combination with a vertically disposed drain'pipe extending through the wall of a building, a nipple directly connected to in spaced relation to the floor surface, a drip I pan, and means for detachably securing said drip pan at one side thereof upon the latter end of the nipple and with the walls of said drip pan in predetermined fixed spaced relation to one of the side walls and the floor of the room. I

3. In combination with a drain pipe extending through the wall of a building, a nipple connected to the drain pipe and ex tending into a room of the building, a drip pan having an opening in one wall thereof to receive the latter end of the nipple, and said wall of the drip pan being spaced from the building Wall. andhaving means thereon at its upper edge located at opposite sides of said openingadapted to be engaged by;

means fixed to thebuilding wall to prevent oscillation of the drip pan upon said nipple.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed: my name. EDWARD KENNEDY. 

